


Message in Blood

by Fenris30



Series: Reticent Watcher [11]
Category: Tekken
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action and Erotica, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Cunnilingus, Erotic Action, Erotica, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fighting, Fighting Kink, Fights, Lemon, Oral Sex, Rimming, Sex, Sexual Content, Shameless Smut, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 13:46:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6053848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fenris30/pseuds/Fenris30
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>These days, Sergei is gone more often; now having to work two jobs-bodyguard and sneaking in undercover to try to pin down some of the traitorous members of the Russian military. Coming home wounded more often than once, Lili's concern begins to boil over, and she just might have a few plans of her own...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well! Now we start up the 3rd story! Hopefully this all goes well; I'm pretty happy with how it's been going so far. I have a feeling things are going to slow down a bit; I reckon this arc will be about 5-6 or so by the time it's done(full stories, in any case). After that, we'll see where the series goes! I always said I'm never going to force it-we all knows what happens to long-running TV series or any series that end up forcing it, and I want this to stay as strong as I can throughout. My TENTATIVE-and this is very tentative plans that could change at any time-will be to have my vacation, and then the next 2-3 will be done spaced throughout, ending sometime in the winter. (Then we see what happens!) 
> 
> But til then, we have some Sergei/Lili adventures to get started with! And by adventures I probably mean smut, action, and more smut.

Sergei was gone more often these days.

Lili wished he didn't have to go, but she understood. She still worried, though. Just a little. She knew she probably didn't have to, as she knew what he was capable of...but this situation was different from the rest of them.

He had been fulfilling his duties to the best that he could, as he always did; but they had less personal time, and they both missed that. To compound things, the summer had been pretty lousy; it was usually cloudy, often rainy, and half the time stiflingly hot and humid, which caused very nasty thunderstorms. It was a situation that led to more indoor than outdoor activities, and Lili was beginning to get a bit of cabin fever.

Still, he would spend personal time with her as much as he could...and his physical touch had a much more hungry feel to it. She would find herself doing much of the same; being in love with the man now made the time apart they had to have feel even worse than it could. Especially when he was on a job dangerous enough for him to come back with new scars seemingly every week. Lili wasn't one to worry too hard about him, given she knew how good he was, but this time she had to wonder.

The situation was harder for her, she felt, because she didn't quite understand everything; mostly because they had to keep some things close to their chest. She knew that walls could have ears, and that Sergei even told her bits that he probably shouldn't have for his own duty, but he was more thinking about her knowing too much. Dealing with shady corporate people was one thing; yes, it could be dangerous, but they had their eye on a bottom line, and barring a few idiots they had to deal with like the man who attempted to clumsily shoot to wound her-they generally wanted money and power, and knew that causing the deaths of the people involved would not be conductive to getting that.

Organized crime wanted money, too...but they would not hesitate to 'make an example' out of anyone getting in the way, and they all knew this.

She knew that Lei wanted the people on the side of the organized crime ring, and Sergei wanted the traitors from the Russian military. Both had their missions and reasoning, so it was a rather perfect setup for the two of them to work somewhat together on this. It frustrated her, though; she did not want to interfere, but she wanted to help, and badly.

This was different than her problem. Her problem was hers; she felt obligated to help, and Sergei, despite being her bodyguard, knew this, and supported her the entire way on it, even helping to train her toward those ends. His disarming techniques had helped her immensely when she fought the assassin. It seemed to be a million years ago, even though she still had the light scars on her arms from that fight. She could still remember the burning bite of the knife at times.

But here, it was not only Sergei's mission, from his motherland, but Lei Wulong's mission. Interpol's mission. Interference, she knew, if she did something wrong, could mean serious, serious consequences. She did not want to jeopardize the mission, or anyone's lives...especially Sergei's, though she suspected it would not be easy to do that.

_Still, I wish I could do more._

She was kept busy at least. She was twenty now, having done the internship for about a year and a half, though she still had about three years left of her studies. But now it was the time where she had to do even more serious things in the company; things that she really shouldn't mess up. While the first year and a half or so was more simple things, with maybe a couple of small meetings being led by the end, now she actually had to look at things like finances. She had learned some rather interesting, not to mention hair-raising things that had gone on behind the scenes over the years; a couple of times her fathers problems with the Zaibatsu had gotten so bad he almost let the company go, but held on. For that, she was _very_ grateful.

So she tried to focus herself toward that, but there was always that nagging feeling of wanting to help out with Sergei's things, too...probably because at heart she _did_ like adventure and danger.

She had seen Lei once during the past couple of weeks; they were walking back and he had stopped into a cafe to share a few bits of information. Given they had the excuse for getting in out of the rain, being seen at a low-end cafe was not too suspicious for her.

She also got the impression he was working this job somewhat undercover from anyone else in her family...probably, she figured, for their safety. She was glad; she wouldn't want her father getting some other lame bodyguard like he had in the past. They were useful enough, but she wouldn't trust half of them to take on more than thugs. She and her father would have been killed by now if it hadn't been for Sergei, and it probably would have been sniper's bullets that did it, not even giving them a chance to respond.

She tried not to think about 'what ifs', but the mind could wander.

Snapping herself back to the real world, she prepared to go to the university, calling for the car. She got her long rain-jacket and large umbrella; judging by the rain pounding against the window, she would need it.

She decided to send a discreet message to someone to meet her at what became one of her favorite cafes here in New York afterward. She would tell the driver she was there on a meeting, and him showing up would be business as usual.

–

The limo pulled up next to the cafe, under the awning. It was part of an expensive hotel, so luckily she did not have to deal with it the rain, though she was careful not to step in any puddles. It had subsided for awhile-enough for things to dry out, though it had stayed dismal, but picked up again the past day or so, and with the nasty wind along with it. She started to wonder offhand if someone was controlling the weather with a doomsday device.

Sergei stood outside in his long, dark green oilcoat with a black tanktop worn underneath. His hair was damp; he had clearly made it out on his own. _Why didn't he just ask one of the chauffeurs?_ she wondered. She walked by, nodding to him as Alain-who had been driving this time, opened the door for the two of them.

“When would you like to be picked up?”

“I'll let you know. I'm not sure how long this will be.”

“My lady.” He bowed, taking his leave. She gave her coat to the man to hang it up; it was quite nice inside and blessedly dry. Sergei did the same, as she began to examine him nonchalantly.

He didn't seem to have any new injuries from the last time, so she counted that as a good thing. He still had a few that were healing, though. She wondered how he hid them from her father, though she started to wonder if she had let him know everything after all, perhaps deciding it would be safer in the long run. Knowing thy enemy, and all. He didn't speak much with her about the dealings with her father, nor did she ask. She could be nosy, but for some reason she never much thought about that.

“My favorite place. Everything is so good here,” she grinned.

Sergei raised an eyebrow. She laughed...then sighed quietly. She missed his touch, but she knew as usual they had to stay fairly businesslike here.

He looked down, seemingly a touch sad for a moment that he could not to what he wanted, but returned to his neutral expression quickly. They were seated in the back, which Lili had reserved. She liked being out of the way of everything else, and this place was nice and private. She glanced over at Sergei, who was absently scratching at one of the newer wounds on his arm. They gave their orders first, before Lili settled back, sipping the cold glass of water. It tasted quite wonderful.

“Can I ask?”

“Machete.”

She shivered. Those, she knew, could do terrible damage. _They're using machetes? What sort of people is he dealing with?_ She sort of knew the answer to her own question.

“I hope you dealt with them.”

He smirked. It had a bit of an evil tone to it.

“How...I mean I know you can't go into everything but...don't they need them?”

“I know who to leave,” he said, grabbing some of the finger foods they had brought to the table. “I know who they need, they know who I need. Anyone else, they do not interfere.”

“Self-defense?”

“That, and I am working for my superiors.”

She smirked a bit. “I feel safer knowing some of them won't be going to prison only to get out.” She never saw Sergei as much of a crime fighter, and he wasn't doing it for any reason but his own work, but he was doing the city a favor, at the same time.

She sat back with the coffee when they brought it, sipping it and looking out the window at the new rainstorm that appeared to hit. “What is happening out there,” she wondered aloud.

Sergei shrugged, sipping his coffee and smirking at her. She smiled back.

She liked how natural they could feel, sometimes just not even talking about anything. He disliked small talk, but would occasionally engage with her. He rubbed off on her though; Lili noticed how she sort of leaned away from the very small talk she used to engage in.

“I still wish I could help more.”

He nodded. “Would some training make you feel better?”

She smirked at him. “You know me.” She looked over her phone for a moment. “Later, though. I feel a little lazy today.”

“Is that any way to get better?”

Lili scowled. “Hmph.” She couldn't keep the face, though. He chuckled, his eyes glimmering with a small flash of affection.

She glanced around, making sure there wasn't anyone too close by hearing their conversation; the people there may have known her father or something, she didn't know. The Rocheforts did frequent more expensive places.

She had started to give consideration to the idea of visiting more...laid back establishments. The place they had gone to meet Lei was very out of the way, and she imagined she could sit and spend time with Sergei while out without having to keep an eye on things. She looked around a moment.

“I wonder if...we couldn't go to some other place.”

He raised his eyebrow, as he had for the past two years when he would question her silently.

“I...think maybe it would be better sometimes. You know. To go to someplace more...out of the way.”

“Like where we were not that long ago.”

She smiled. “Yes. Or other places like that.”

Sergei smiled softly. It was a good idea. He sort of thought that some of the places they visited here may be a bit 'dangerous' to their secrecy, if there were no meetings going on to cover for them. Unlike Berlin, most of her meetings these days, when she had them, were actually at their NYC headquarters. It was harder to make excuses. He stood, offering his arm out.

A good bodyguard always cared for his charge, after all.

 


	2. Chapter 2

_I think today may actually be somewhat free. Been long enough._

Lili had woken up early to get a few things done; for one, she had to make her plans for the week. As she sat there, starting glumly at her online calendar, she sort of started to regret taking on so many things at once. She had _thought_ keeping this busy would help her, but now she wasn't so sure.

_I sort of wonder if I can give away a couple of these projects. I probably can. I mean, I have pull. I should use it once in awhile._

She hadn't slept as well as she could have the past days; stuff weighing on her mind with her real life, stuff weighing on her mind from work.

Compounding this, Sergei was now pulling triple duty; occasionally guarding her father, guarding her, as well as his mission against the international crime syndicate-he was even busier the past couple of weeks now. More so than before, since her father did not need him as much then. The last time they had seen for personal time was when they had gone off to an almost-seedy bar on her request.

Lili wasn't one to require the company of someone. In fact she had friends she went out with; workmates, classmates. She was out with some just last night. She had fun mingling and such, and she felt quite powerful when she was out with her workmates, since she knew she was, in a way, their 'boss'...or, well, would be. It was close enough.

But...sometimes she felt distant, and while she certainly didn't rely on Sergei for her happiness, she _did_ sort of have enormous feelings for him, and, well...the closest thing one could get to a full-bore relationship without calling it that. As far as she was concerned...it was more.

He felt the same.

But there were those nights where he would simply be out with her; sparing her a smirk now and again, and then simply escorting her home...in the limo, so they could only occasionally give a touch or a look. And then he would be back out on his mission.

The times he would come over, they would indeed indulge in one another quite deeply...but then it was back to business as usual. In a way, it was just as hard as to the times he was away permanently; the whole 'out of sight, out of mind' coming into play, Lili suspected. It was harder in the sense that she wondered about what sort of extreme danger he was in, and even just seeing him a little was better than not at all, but the one small upside was that she found herself more able to fully focus on other things.

She sighed again, staring at the clock.

_Might as well try to occupy myself._

–

The day had felt so long. Maybe it was because she was tired, or the weather, or anything, but it seemed to just drag. But she had gone out for awhile to get a little fresh air-as damp and humid as it was-and then came back. She went alone; she insisted to her servants she would be fine and that they could perhaps get some things ready for her return.

She now stood on the elevator; despite living very high up, it was fast. It quickly hit her floor; she got off...seeing Sergei standing there by the wall, his arms folded. She smiled almost wearily as she walked by him to push into her room.

The coffee smell hit them almost at once, and it smelled wonderful.

He smiled back softly as he immediately went there to pour himself a massive cup, and her as well; his eyes clearly showing he hadn't slept too well the past couple of nights. He sat at the table, leaning back after taking a long drink from the cup. He silently lit a cigarette, crossing one huge leg over the other.

“You aren't sleeping well, are you.” It was not a question. They didn't speak much when he had stopped by earlier.

He shook his head. “Busy.”

Lili sighed, but she smiled sadly. “I miss you,” she said. She didn't bother dancing around it.

Sergei nodded. “I can stay today.”

Lili stood, walking over to him before leaning in, instigating a deep kiss. Sergei returned it, shifting so he could slide both arms around her. It lasted awhile; Sergei's hand running through her hair and down her back. She could feel how intense he was getting, and how much it was clear that he was apologizing for not being able to see her as much, except for the times he would go to work with her or accompany her somewhere out of necessity.

It broke after some time. Lili stood, moving a bit of his hair out of the way absently with a hand, smiling softly down at him.

“I'll tell Sebastian to bring some of the favorites up then.”

Sergei smiled at that. He had been mostly sustaining on anything he could grab on the run, as his evenings had been busy. Times with Lili of course were one thing, but the rest of the time it was cart, diner, or deli food to go. He could eat anything, of course-he'd eaten a raw hare he had killed with his hands in the field before, and to be fair some of the stuff he got his hands on was pretty damned tasty-but Rochefort manor cuisine still continued to spoil him.

Lili chuckled at his expression. He silently took a pull of his cigarette, following with another long drink of the coffee.

She sat back down at her laptop, going to finish a few of the things she had early so her evening would be more free.

_It would be a shame to waste tonight having to do a report._

She sat down with her own coffee, sitting across from him. “Can you tell me anything?” she asked, looking at his new scars, some of them not even completely healed yet.

“It has been slow going. Now that some of them are turning up dead, they're being a lot more conservative in their actions. Lei and his partner are working from their end.”

“Have you gotten anywhere?”

“We have gotten ahold of several of the arms. Many are from Russia.”

“Can...I ask what happened here?” She pointed to the wounds.

“Ambush. Some of them got wise.”

“I take it they weren't...turned into any authorities.”

He smirked a touch evilly.

She knew the answer to that. “Thought so.”

Finishing his coffee, he stood to get more. “Training?”

She sat back in the chair. “I feel lazy again.” She recalled the last time he had asked she felt lazy as well, though they had gotten a few sessions in since then, and she had her exercise routine. She didn't feel _too_ bad as a result.

He nodded. He was fine with this; he'd rather spend the day doing more relaxing things. He sat back down touching Lili under her chin. She took his hand, looking a little morose for a moment.

“I wish I could help more with this.”

“I know. This is...not typical.”

Sergei brought his cup to the couch, laying back on it, one leg settled on the floor. Lili was not one for putting shoes on the furniture, but since his other one was hanging off of the other armrest, she didn't much care; he was longer than the couch.

Lili came over, setting her own cup on the table after sipping it...and then climbed on him, straddling his waist. They were both fully dressed-they were being a little careful right now-but it was nice to be able to have a little time together. She traced a hand down his chest, feeling the muscle and examining a few of the new scars he had gotten, in an almost protective manner. They were healing clean.

He put one hand behind his head as his other hand slid up and down her waist a few times. She leaned toward him a little to give him a single kiss, which he returned; she sat back up.

“You're healing alright at least.”

He nodded. “It will happen.”

She moved a hand down to run through his hair a few times. She was always pleased with how soft it was. “You can stay today, but what do you have tonight?”

“Nothing.” He smirked.

She grinned as he pulled her down. While he generally never said anything, he did miss their time something fiercely, and he was more than comfortable at the moment, though if she kept sitting there he imagined she may start to feel a little something.

She looked down at him; he smirked softly again. He traced his huge hand over her arm; she could feel the rough skin and a few extra small wounds on his hands. His touch was always a contrast between the brutal fighter that he was...but also the man who cared deeply for her.

He pulled her down to kiss her for a few moments; his tongue barely poking into her mouth as he pulled away, smiling. She pressed her forehead to his.

_I hope no one bugs us. Just give us a few moments here..._

–

Sergei lay awake in the bed, flipping through some of his handwritten notes. He had not been sleeping well this night; while he was able to sleep most of the time, tonight was different. He was restless from some of the news he had heard, and the plans he had to make. He would figure everything out in time; he supposed this night would just be one where he was doing a lot of planning.

It was okay; he had coffee, and he knew how to stay awake on little sleep. He had been on missions where he would perhaps get to sleep for very short moments at a time every so often, at best, for several days. Getting one or two lousy nights was nothing.

There were other things on his mind, though.

He had been through quite a bit, and missed physical contact. He supposed he had gotten a bit...spoiled, for lack of a better word; in his times working for the Rocheforts, he and Lili usually ended up with a fair bit of time together. It wasn't as often as either would have liked, but it worked. They had been more devoid as of late; and while being separated was difficult, it was almost easier to not think about the physical aspect. When they saw each other every day, it was a different story.

He turned to look over next to him, his arm behind his head as he leaned against the padded headboard.

Lili was snoozing peacefully; the two of them slept naked. He looked her up and down, the sheet only half over her, even though the air conditioning was on. He smiled softly, enjoying the view for a moment.

He remembered back what she did for him not too long ago, and wondered if he could perhaps return the favor. This was not too like him, though occasionally- _very_ occasionally-he would get the urge to be a little experimental; he did not mind trying new positions and new ways...nor did he mind trying new acts. He knew Lili was not the world's deepest sleeper, but he did not have any underwear to get through, like he did the time she managed to sneak up on him.

He _could_ be quite stealthy, to be fair.

He smirked to himself, knowing his biggest challenge would be to not tease her like he usually enjoyed doing if he were to try this. Almost without realizing, he put the book aside and found himself shifting around a bit, realizing that yes...he was apparently going to try.

Pushing back the sheet, her legs shifted slightly; luckily for him it seemed to give him better access. He gazed up and down her body again; it did look beautiful here in the dim light.

Leaning his head down to softly nuzzle at her stomach-careful to keep his hair out of the way-he enjoyed the way it felt. She kept impeccable care of her skin, so it was always soft, and he could feel the toned muscle underneath as well.

He saw her stir again, though she still did not wake. She sighed in her sleep, though...almost like she knew something was happening.

Sergei slid down a little more, half helping to guide her legs apart until he was presented with her most intimate place right in front of him; he usually liked to tease her, but he decided to cut that short, somewhat; he leaned in to give her mound a long, lingering kiss as he inhaled her scent. Not wanting her to outdo him with her rather amazing job sneaking last time, he moved forward to begin slowly licking her up and down, flicking out quickly for a few moments before he pressed his face to her, unable to resist any longer.

He heard a pleasant sigh come out of her as she started to stir, smiling in her sleep...or what was becoming _very_ thin sleep at this moment.

Lili wasn't sure exactly was was happening at first; she was having a dream, and then a very nice feeling started to engulf her entire body as she shifted around; her own gasps woke her up. She snapped awake, realizing what exactly was happening...and having to stifle laughter in the middle of biting her lip to keep quiet due to Sergei's rather pleasant work.

“...You...” she managed to squeak out before gasping loudly when his tongue touched her clit.

Sergei simply kept continuing on, smiling a bit to himself as her legs found their way over his shoulder and he held her closer. She was extremely wet now, and he was pressed rather well into her, enjoying every second. He wasn't sure how long he wanted to spend.

Lili was still trying not to laugh, all while trying not to shriek, as this felt really, _really_ damned good. Having been away from Sergei for awhile, and going to sleep with him naked...it was easy for her to get aroused, and this little...surprise he just gave her made her begin to shake rather quickly. She slid her hands in his hair to hold him there; her hips began to thrust toward him. She wanted to come, and soon.

Sergei sensed this and decided to not torment her; sucking at her clit like he would, quickly flicking his tongue against it and he held her close when he felt her quiver in his arms. Swallowing what he could, he pulled away slowly, teasing her a little with his tongue, licking her a little more, before kissing her thighs. He looked up at her as he rest his decidedly wet face against her stomach, a tiny smirk on his lips.

Lili caught her breath and looked down, giggling. “Revenge?”

He shrugged, kissing her stomach lightly. He started to move...but Lili sort of gave him a squeeze with her legs.

“It's been awhile,” she said, smiling softly. “I don't have to be up too early tomorrow...do you?”

Sergei shook his head, smiling. It had been awhile since they had one of their...marathon nights. Truth be told, even if he _did_ have to wake up early, well, he'd gone on less sleep before and in far more unpleasant conditions.

Lili grinned, playing with his hair some more. She felt wonderful; it didn't take her long to get her off the first time-it usually didn't, if he held off on the teasing and just went for it-but more so she loved when he would do little things like this. It showed even after almost two years, he was still working on cracking his shell bit by bit.

If this was any indication, he had come quite a long way. He had never really surprised her like _this_ before. He had given her sudden head before in the past; he had done this several times. She even remembered the first time; it had been not too long after their first time together, and they had been hanging out in her room. Before she knew it he was working her underwear off. It had probably been the first time she saw how comfortable he was getting with her, as well. It had felt wonderful as always...he was just getting to know her body better in those days...while nowadays things were a _bit_ different there.

He seemed quite content for the moment to be lying on her stomach. He licked his lips, and the faint taste of her started to make him want to begin again. He looked up at her, grinning as he raised his eyebrow again.

_Going to be up awhile tonight I think,_ she thought while she was still able to focus.

He leaned back into her, slowly stroking her with his tongue for awhile. She bit her lip after a time, trying to push him close...but he kept back, teasing her. Just giving her light flicks up and down, occasionally nudging closer to tease her clit, he smirked to himself; he knew he was driving her about mad right now.

Soft moans escaped her lips as he kept going with his teasing; he would poke his tongue lightly inside of her for just a few moments. She would let him have this; she knew how much he loved to tease her before going in...and to be frank, it sometimes made the orgasm that much better. He stayed away from her clit-it was sensitive, and it almost felt better to her for him to avoid it for awhile.

She wasn't concerned, as he knew exactly how to get multiple orgasms out of her.

Stroking his hair, she tried to thrust her hips more toward him; he met her a few times closer, but stayed back awhile longer, until she felt she was going to pass out from the teasing. He moved forward again, sliding his tongue in and out, sucking at her, and he let her set the pace with her hips.

After a short time, she felt herself come again, having to bite the pillow to not squeal as she felt him licking through the entire thing. He pulled back, kneeling between her legs, licking his lips before finally going to lick her a little more; she was soaked from her front to back, and her thighs were wet as well. He finally wiped his mouth off, settling down with his head next to her waist.

Panting, she sat up, looking down at him. He smirked.

“I might need some time,” she said. The teasing-and subsequent massive orgasm, left her a bit worn out.

He shrugged and smirked. “You don't have to.” It was his way of saying that he was perfectly content having just pleasured her tonight. It was quite true; he was more glad he got a little bit of 'revenge'...even though it wasn't exactly unpleasant.

“We should clean up a little first...” she giggled. She reminded herself to get her sheets off the bed herself; something she did every so often these days for 'cover up' purposes. She made an excuse that she didn't mind occasionally doing something on her own to her servants.

He was comfortable where he was, though he knew they should get in the shower. He stood and moved off to the bathroom; Lili decided to follow as always.

Some traditions were always worth keeping, she felt.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little surprise for Lili...I mean, did she actually think Sergei was going to let that one go?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of those graphic violence chapters(and it does get really nasty, so beware.) It's Sergei at some of his worst, so if you've been keeping up with this series, you know what that can mean.

Lili was pretty excited; she had gotten to go on a couple more outings with Sergei, meeting with Lei in the seedier areas. While she absolutely did not give up any comforts, she did start enjoying looking forward to those odd days where she spent them more as a 'regular' person...sitting in the corner of a booth, sipping strong coffee. Most of the time it was simply Lei stopping by to pick up some item or small report. His partner was never with him these days; now deep undercover, he was apparently getting excellent information which could help Sergei on his end, as well.

She had met him once; only twenty himself, spending two years in the military and Lei had discovered he had a knack for subterfuge that even people he had known for years didn't have. He was also solidly capable of defending himself if things went wrong, and seemed like a natural pick, though Lei had been hesitant at first given his age.

Sometimes Lili thought that sort of thing could be fun. She wondered how she would fit in doing something like that.

_I'd probably start to miss all of my comforts._

Today they would be going to another out of the way place, over the bridge and off a few of the lesser-traveled, more run-down streets. Nice places to discuss more discreet things in a corner booth, even though they kept mostly to things that didn't make much sense to the public or anyone that heard it. In addition, this place was reportedly rather close to some of the goings-on; she suspected Lei was busily staking things out and would meet up with them later on.

The weather had improved only slightly. It didn't rain as often, though it was now stifling; the humidity was so thick Lili thought she would drown if she stayed outside too long. The air had an underlying half hot, half chill quality that one could not even describe; like it was too chill to go without an overshirt for too long...but too hot to wear one, either. She almost wished whatever storm wanted to blow in would just get it over with again.

She _hated_ what it did to her hair.

They would be traveling by Sergei's large jeep. She always wondered what music he'd be playing, but it was usually his industrial; she noticed classical was more often used when he wanted to relax. The jeep was kept well-repaired and in order, but was mildly cluttered. Sergei kept his room impeccable, his clothing pressed and hung, and his own personal appearance very well groomed-but it seemed he liked his jeep to be a little more lived-in. It smelled like leather, faintly of gun oil, old cigarette smoke, and...well, him. Not smells that one would think someone of Lili's status would be party to...but for her, it was one of the more relaxing things she could think of, particularly after a busy week.

Usually she tried not to think about the odd small, rust-red stain on the carpet that was kept physically clean...but, well, some things were hard to get out even with a ton of washing.

She was heading downstairs at this moment, waiting in the lobby for Sergei to appear. She had managed to slip out; but it would be of no concern if someone saw. She could say she wished to study in a cafe, and let them call the limo for her.

Sergei came down a few moments later, dressed fairly lightly; sleeveless shirt, cargos, and heavy boots as always. She noticed his shirt was Kevlar when she brushed by it, which meant that he was playing it safe tonight; he usually did when meeting with Lei. She nodded, keeping things in a professional manner as she glanced around and went down the hallway, only turning toward the garage this time.

No one was the wiser, as usual.

_I'm really good at this sneaking thing these days..._

–

“No one seems to be there. Not closed, but service is too damn slow. Wouldn't waste my time.”

That was the response they got from a scruffy, middle-aged looking fellow who was leaving the bar when they started to open the door.

“Thanks,” Lili replied. “Maybe they're tied up.”

“Been tied up for awhile now. I ain't got all night.” He chuckled. “This place ain't doing so well as it is. Dunno if they can afford to have such shitty service.” With that, he nodded politely, presumably heading off to another watering hole.

The bar was small, dark, and smelled of a mix of beer, dust, and tobacco. She didn't quite like the vibe of this place as much as the other place they usually went, though they did not want to keep going to the same place. The soft buzz of the flickering fluorescent signs hummed in the air, and the wooden floor creaked with every step. She looked up at him.

“He really knows how to pick the places...” she looked around, frowning at the booth as she flicked a cigarette butt off of it with her boot. “It does seem to be empty.”

Sergei nodded. “It does apparently have a use for something. His partner should be here by now, but perhaps he's running late.” He sat down at the edge of the booth, lighting a cigarette. New York wasn't as anti-smoking as it used to be, at least in these areas it seemed...though she did notice as the corporations got more of a foothold, things changed over time.

“Where is the bartender?” she wondered aloud as she sat in the booth next to him.

Sergei shrugged. “Restroom? Though it seems the man had been waiting for awhile, as well.”

She snorted. “I hope he washes his hands.” She still could not shake the weird feeling from this place.

He noticed her expression. “Something does feel odd.”

“Not...another setup...”

“I don't think so. Our friend leaving probably would have been in the middle of it.”

The room was only moderate sized; maybe twenty tables and booths combined, a couple of old jukeboxes at the tables that they figured didn't even work, and the bar at the far end. One hallway lead to the restrooms...or restroom, as it was unisex. Another door she presumed lead to the kitchen. There was one more door off to the side.

They continued to wait, Lili looking around the walls at the dusty pictures; people who she never knew, most of whom were no longer alive, judging by the aging of them. There was a battered old video game of sorts in the corner; she suspected it hadn't worked well in awhile.

_Where is the bartender?_

Sergei stood again to walk over to the bar, examining it. He checked his watch. “Lei has not sent any messages yet.”

“Get held up?”

“Possibly. He was busy today. Though his partner should have met us here.”

“Hello?” Lili said to no one in particular, maybe wondering if someone was around. She got up to check the bathroom; no one in there. The only thing there was a vent that was far too small for a person. She shivered.

“I don't like this,” she said.

Sergei nodded. He poked his head into the kitchen; it looked used, but there was no one there. He figured it was such a small place the bartender probably handled most of the orders, as it was just simple bar food; nothing complex was cooked here. He thought for a moment and decided to take a round, checking everywhere in there.

Nothing. No one even hiding in the walk-in fridge, if there had been a reason for it. He thought to message Lei, but then he decided against it-he did not want to give any sort of signals to him while he was potentially on a job.

He came back out, folding his arms and looking around the seedy establishment. He started to walk around, examining things; he decided to go behind the bar since there did not seem to be anyone there. He carefully searched-not touching too much-to see if he could perhaps find some sort of...something. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for. Anything, perhaps, to give a clue.

All he found was the register, the taps which served cheap beer, and other odds and ends. Folders that looked like they hadn't been cracked in ages, given the thick coating of dust over them. Envelopes scattered around held receipts from weeks and months back.

Finally he came across an envelope stuffed full of money. One-hundred dollar bills, fifties, twenties. He shuffled through it for some moments before putting it back and looking around some more. Lili noticed a more concerned look on his face.

“What is it?”

“Money. A lot.”

She blinked. “Maybe they keep their money there they make during the day?”

He showed it to her. “This looks...”

“More like a payment...” she said. “For what, though?”

He shrugged, going back over to the booth and sitting to light another cigarette.

Lili walked around the bar a bit, trying to keep herself occupied with something. Ten more minutes passed. Then twenty. She went to sit back down.

“When was Lei supposed to arrive?”

“About a half hour ago.” He checked his watch, before eyeing the third door he hadn't gone into yet. “No message. His partner hasn't even shown, either...his partner was supposed to be here first.”

“Maybe he's tied up with Lei. Met him first.”

He frowned.

After a few more minutes-still without a bartender, though it was clear neither of them wanted to leave because they knew something was amiss-a message came through on Sergei's phone.”

“It's Lei. He's held up. He had sent a message to his partner to tell us...but his partner is not here to relay it.”

Lili blinked. After a couple more messages, Sergei pocketed the phone and stood.

“I need to explore more. His partner isn't with him. He apparently left hours ago, and should have been here long by now.”

“That...doesn't sound good.”

He shook his head. “Stay here.” He thought, taking his holstered gun off and handing it to her. “Put this on.” With the unspoken phrase _use this if you have to, as I think something big might be going down tonight._

She nodded, standing. “I'll stay in a safe area. Don't worry.” Her stomach sank. “That money. What if the bartender was bribed.”

He folded his arms, looking at her. She was right.

“That could be.” _Bribed for what, I wonder._

Sergei paused. He looked around...in the corners, around the ceiling. There were few windows. It was likely no one would be coming in from anywhere except the front door or the kitchen. There was also likely no one looking in at the moment.

Lili stepped forward as he started to walk off...and quickly kissed him. It relaxed her quite a bit, as she surveyed the area, going to hang out in a discreet spot, though one where she could reach any exits-or perhaps get the drop on anyone-if something _did_ go wrong.

He simply nodded to her after he touched her face with one finger, walking over to the other door, checking it. It was unlocked, and a short hallway connected it to a couple of rooms; one dusty office, and another door. He shut the one behind him, heading down to check the one at the far end.

He figured this lead to one of the warehouses. The buildings here were all connected, so it wasn't a secret or anything, but he had a feeling this warehouse was being used for illicit activities. Between the lack of _anyone_ here, the missing partner, and the envelope of money, he was starting to put together what may have happened; the owner was paid off with a hefty sum to 'go somewhere'-he may have been forced into this as well along with the sum to help keep him quiet-and he did just that.

Which meant Lei's partner could be in danger. He was missing for a few hours, and he was probably here for a reason; he guessed he picked this area _because_ he knew it was being used for something. Being the inside man, he likely had a lot of knowledge on where some of their activities took place, and he wanted to perhaps report, have backup, or both.

He opened the door after listening a few moments; it was silent. He then sighed very deeply after he walked in, moving through some boxes and further in...before hearing a man moaning in the corner.

The room looked like a butcher's chamber. Strewn on the floor near a table were what seemed to be wire clippers and a few other bloodied tools.

There was one dead syndicate member, lying in a pool of blood with his throat torn out from a high-caliber gunshot wound. Another was in the corner, bleeding from several knife wounds around his torso; Sergei had no idea how badly he was hurt.

The other members were alive; he wasn't sure how many. Six to eight, he guessed. It appeared that Lei's partner had been found out. Sergei wasn't sure how it happened, but it happened, and it only took him a moment to tell. They were not in the direct room; he could hear various sounds coming from other parts of the warehouse.

The young man was dead, chained to a chair. Judging by the bloodied tools and the chainsaw off to the side-as well as his condition-they had made sure that they sent a message to people when it came to undercover. He frowned; the young man had been intelligent, he knew Lei liked him, and Lili had thought him a decent person as well even though they had only met briefly. It was his age, though; he had just barely turned twenty, and they still did this. The blood had run nearly to the door; the severed arm had been the big cause of this, he guessed...as well as his slit throat.

_By the look of things, he never talked._

He knew Lili was in the building as well. He hoped she would be safe. He trusted her skills, but he sincerely hoped none of them had instruments like chainsaws on hand.

He was in a troubling spot at the moment; he knew the men were in the warehouse right there, but he did not know if there were more that would come. He wanted to go get Lili, but if he did not deal with the men now, he had no idea if they could get into the bar, possibly heavily armed.

For that matter, he would have to contact Lei; but right now it was too dangerous. He had to take care of the people here and get back. He sort of wished they had picked another establishment; he almost wondered if they had spied on Lei and his partner and managed to find out they came here for something. He knew how careful Lei was, but perhaps the young man had slipped up somehow. They would have to figure this out later.

He thought of his opposition.

These guys were not needed by his men or Interpol.

He decided right then he did not want people like this running around. He was not some sort of do-gooder to deal out justice to wrongdoers, but he _was_ a man who had little patience for people like this. He also decided it was probably for the best if he went in to deal with them as quickly as possible...he knew Lili, he trusted her, and he knew that if things got too bad, she would come to him.

He looked at Lei's partner again, and how badly they worked him over...and he would assure them that he could do _much_ worse.

He would make sure to put the young man in some more respectful position when he was finished, but...truth be told, a corpse was a corpse to Sergei. Yet, still, he knew others may wish to see him in another way.

_Terrence. His name was Terrence._

He wasn't sure what gnawed so badly at him, but he supposed it was the brutality mixed with his age. He imagined he perhaps tried to do too much on his own; he started to wonder why Interpol would hire someone so young for something this dangerous. Hire him, sure, but perhaps someone with more undercover experience would have fared better here; with youth sometimes comes carelessness. Despite having battle experience, experience in the criminal underworld was something completely different.

He heard more sounds appearing right above him and saw the wooden staircase, making him realize his decision to deal with them first was the correct one, which made him feel considerably better. He cracked his knuckles and started to walk. His steel-reinforced combat boots were loud on the concrete floor, though he did not care if they heard him.

He walked over to the dying man-who had been unable to speak, possibly from wounds-and began to rain blows on him with his massive fists and boots, beating him to death where he lay while he maintained his terrifying silence.

–-

Lili did not like what was happening. This bar they had come to had left her with a nervous feeling from the start, and when the contact had not shown, the feeling only got worse. She decided to sit tight...but she was still a little nervous.

_I'm going to have to fight something tonight, aren't I?_

She usually enjoyed it; but in these more dangerous situations...she wasn't as sure, especially since she sort of had an idea of the types of people she was dealing with.

She took the gun out to examine it, making sure it was ready.

Just in case.

\--

The next man he came across as he walked through some of the hallways couldn't move fast enough; Sergei smashed a huge fist into his face, forcing him to fly back into the wall; he followed with a vicious kick to his stomach, doubling him over and putting him on his knees, spitting up blood and bile. He wound back with his brutal strength to kick the man in the face twice; the second kick snapping his neck. His face was a bloody mess from the first blow alone as the steel toe of his boot had smashed his nose and mouth into a ruin. He fell onto his back, blood running from his face and dripping onto the concrete.

He heard more shuffling; the crunching sounds of Sergei's monstrous blows were clearly enough to get their attention, or the attention of at least some of them. He crept around, quieter than any man his size had a right to be; he even managed to keep his footfalls fairly quiet. He crept around to a side room, ready to ambush, since he did not know what weapons they had or what his enemies were capable of.

A somewhat well-built man-wearing a casual suit and tinkering with a gun-turned the corner, wondering what what was happening. There were two others with him. Sergei could still hear more men shuffling about; the warehouse was not very good for keeping things quiet. He barely had time to take in the blood running from the dead men.

Sergei leapt out; his powerful legs driving him forward as he tackled the man, bowling him over and cracking a few ribs by the sound; he smashed down onto his face with his fist twice; then switched. He pounded him six or seven times, the last one clearly cracking his skull against the concrete; both hands dripped blood and the man's face was a bloody mess. He rolled off, taking his low stance at the other two who had drawn weapons; one a baton and another a machete...which he knew they liked to use. The man with the machete's suit had blood spatters on it...actually, spatters were too kind a word.

He was _quite_ bloody, telling him that he was one of the people who had worked over the young man downstairs.

That one, he decided, would die a little painfully.

Sergei ducked right as he dodged the machete; he was the more dangerous man, but the baton hit him across the shoulderblades as he fell over, rolling safely and leaping back up. The big man with the baton kept at him, realizing how dangerous he was, swinging out, preventing Sergei from getting in; the second soldier tried to slash at him, and managed to get a couple of small cuts in.

Sergei wiped some blood from his mouth from a glancing blow with the club, realizing he had to take one out quickly. He grit his teeth, going low with a sweep; ducking under another slash and tripping him down with both of his legs. He pulled, snapping the man's legs instead as he screamed; he quickly rolled around, smashing the man's head into the concrete twice with immense strength before savagely snapping his neck and flipping to his feet afterward. His opponents would find he could move faster than his size would hint at.

The man with the machete tried a clumsy downward chop; seeing how quickly and brutally Sergei killed his tough partner had shaken him. As he was off balance, Sergei lifted his massive fists high, sparing him a terrifying glare as he brought them both down on top of his head, smashing him directly into the floor in an explosion of blood as his face hit; he twitched from the sheer force of the brutal blow. He stared coldly down at him and slammed his boot down onto the back of his head, grinding it in a few moments as blood seeped from underneath. The man tried to get up, flailing his arm around. He quickly stomped on the hand that held the machete, shattering the bones to splinters. He went back to his head, grinding it in, stomping down for a moment as he felt more bone break.

Truth be told, he was sort of glad to not have Lili here to see this. Later on, he would realize what bothered him...the young man was bold, he was curious, and he was wanting to help.

He was also Lili's age.

Had Lili been involved in this, he thought she would have done the same thing; tried to uncover more.

He ground his heavy boot in more and more, the man moaning in agony; he heard the sounds of more footsteps heading in.

He expected this.

Staring down a few more moments to figure out what to do, he simply wound back to kick the man hard, flipping him up more to his knees, his face a terrible mess from being ground violently into the bloodied concrete. As he reeled in shock, he smashed his gigantic boot square onto the man's mouth, shattering his jaw to bits; as a quivering yell choked short as he sucked in desperate, whistling breath through he ruin of his face. Sergei glared down at the broken man, who had tortured his last victim.

Sure, others were involved...but he was bloody, and clearly one of them, and he caught him first.

He kicked him again and again. His lip curled into a snarl and he kicked him some more; his ribs broken and his head now a red horror. He could still see the man moving...he knew he was still alive through all of this. Somehow, Sergei managed to miss the killing blow.

On purpose. Sergei knew how to kill, but he also knew how to do other things. Darker things. Things he did not speak of with Lili, or anyone else. Things that would make someone wonder how he would be capable of caring for another human being-let alone love them-if they had witnessed it.

Things that after he would have to do them now and again, no one spoke of them after.

It was made all the worse by his silence. Even the most dense person in the world could tell there was no mercy to be found at this moment in Sergei.

Finally, the tortured gurgles stopped with one more ferocious downward kick that split his head in two; he was already on his back, unable to stay up through the previous assault. Blood and brains leaked out from the awful remains, Sergei staring coldly at the corpse as he heard more men come in from behind.

He heard one of them gag.

Turning, he slowly looked at them, wiping the blood spatter from his face; the violent kicks he rained on the man sprayed a mass quantity of blood everywhere.

_They probably didn't gag when they were doing for the young one._

_It's always different when it's one of their own..._

–

_Great. Didn't this happen once before? I'm just going to go with him next time._

It figured a few men would be moving through here; clearly, it was a front for their operations, or they happened to have their ops behind it...given that the owner was missing, he was either involved, kidnapped, dead, paid off, or gods knew what else.

They seemed to be coming from the place where Sergei came from, which worried her...but only for a moment.

She touched the gun in its holster.She was dressed in fairly comfortable, lower-key clothing; a tank top, jeans, and short boots, so she would have no issue moving about. She imagined she could keep herself both low key...but ready to fight if necessary.

Sliding quietly out of the chair-keeping in mind things she had learned about being quiet-she slid around to a better position to watch. She could possibly avoid combat here, but if she had to fight, she would rather have the drop on people whom she did not know anything about; how they were armed or their skill level. Common thugs would be no problem, but better syndicate soldiers-armed-could be dangerous...even deadly.

She took shallow breaths, relaxing. She remembered the little things she had been taught. Staying calm would work.

Whatever was going on in the back, it was probably bad. Sergei was still back there, and there were men back there.

Likely in bad shape, of course.

She could tell there was one at the front; she could strike quickly, knocking him out if her blows were true. She knew she could draw the gun if need be...though she would try to avoid that.

Lili Rochefort still refused to kill a person unless it could not be helped; she imagined it would have to be down to the wire.

She saw the men walk in, not knowing where they were headed. Outside? To get more help? Or some secret passage...she had no idea if one even existed.

 _Now,_ she thought to herself, hoping she was right.

She jumped out, sweeping low to take the first man off of his feet; he rolled, but she caught him with a kick to his chest, rolling him over some more. As he tried to kneel, she struck him twice in the face with her fist,followed with a knee, and then a low round kick; he went over, dazed and clearly not terribly interested in fighting for the next moments.

Probably not until he woke up.

She quickly snapped up, noticing a man was trying to pull a weapon out; it was a handgun. Not hesitating-somehow, she wasn't sure how-she slid around to get him in a hold, quickly hitting upward to dislocate his elbow, before kneeing him in the gut and coming around with a hand strike to his nose, bloodying it, sending a spray of it onto her shirt. Another knee to the temple as he bent over sent him right into the side of the bar and knocked that one out cold as his head bounced against the wood. Blood leaked from his nose onto the floor, though he was breathing. He was quite out of commission for now, at least.

The third man was confused on how the slim girl who had not supposed to be there in the first place just managed to disable two of them within a few moments; he was a bit slow on his movement, though managed to throw a punch, meeting her in the ribcage; she exhaled, gritting her teeth. She kept her hand around the gun, maneuvering around as he went to try to tackle her...which she sidestepped.

This allowed Lili to turn the gun around and pistol-whip him across the back of the head twice, putting him immediately face-down on the floor. She had been taught where to hit to put someone out quickly with a small, blunt object, and she finally got to use it.

Looking around at the three men taken out with little wounds to her besides some bruising, she was quite proud of herself. She looked around, wondering how long it would take them to wake up. She paused to give one more swift boot to the guy she just pistol-whipped.

Just in case.

Noticing some material at one part of the bar, she took a closer look; she wasn't sure what it was used for...but she got an idea.

She grinned, starting to measure out lengths of it and tried to find something to cut it with.

–

Sergei had the final man by his head; he was already beaten badly, his partner twisted into shapes that a human being should never be twisted into-living or dead-in a corner, blood flowing freely from several parts of his body. Sergei had a few wounds himself; the men were fairly skilled to be sure. He had several slashes, and one had caught him in the nose with a glancing blow, causing it to bleed a little.

He dragged him as he struggled feebly against Sergei's vice-like grip into another room, close to where they did their dirty work. He crushed his knee under his heel, not changing expression as the man screamed.

He eyed the tools, the man looking terrified now; Sergei picked one up...only to dash it against the floor, smashing it under his heel. He looked over at the chair-which had it's back turned from them-and then back down to him.

Silence or not, the man understood what Sergei's icy glare may have been saying.

_He probably went through much worse than what you're about to._

Staring at him longer, though...he realized he was pathetic. He knew he would not talk, and he knew that most likely the rest of the men escaped. He grabbed him by the head again, slamming his face into the stone wall twice; as he slid down, moaning, he stomped the back of his head in with a massive _crunch,_ blood spraying out in a fan on the wall behind him.

He slid the rest of the way down, the wall smeared with his blood where he was touching it all the way to the floor. It leaked from his head over the floor, which was already covered.

Sergei sighed; it was done. He imagined more had already gotten away, but he wished they had gotten here sooner. Though with Lei held up at another area-possibly a decoy, he didn't know-it likely would not have mattered. He realized that so many of his situations lately ended up with him slaughtering a bunch of men, and he wondered if he ought to wear his armor more often now that he was neck-deep into this mission which took a bit of a darker turn than he would have suspected.

He turned to throw the door open, wanting to quickly check on Lili.

She was in the hallway, wanting to check on him, as it had been awhile, and she wasn't sure if more enemies would be coming through or not. She went up to him, catching her breath. She had clearly been fighting.

“Lili...” he started. She blinked, pushing him aside, after seeing how bloody he was.

“I...what...” she stepped backward, staring into the room...where she could _just_ make out the remains of the young man in the chair; it was far back, thankfully,, sparing her the worst of it. But she could see enough. She stared at him a few moments before Sergei pushed in, blocking her view.

She put a hand up to her mouth. “Why...?”

“They found him out, I suppose.” He looked cold. “I killed all I found.”

She turned to walk back, seemingly disturbed more than normal from this. She felt a little bit woozy as she made her way back into the bar, wrapping her arms around herself. She had seen Sergei kill enemies before, and violently; she had watched him twist their limbs, break arms, legs, and necks, and even crush their skulls so the contents of their heads leaked out onto the ground. It was grotesque, brutal, and merciless. Even that first day when she the aftermath of when he mangled the men who had snuck onto their grounds didn't bother her this much.

But there was something about the young man...her age...he was helpless when they did that.

She turned to walk back to the bar to sit down. Sergei checked her over; she had some bumps and dirt on her, but seemed in good shape The spray of blood on her shirt was small, and did not seem to be hers. She looked up at him.

“Cover him?”

Sergei nodded, turning back toward the room. He searched around until he found something-which seemed to be a tarp, which they probably would have used to transport him-and covered him up, closing his good eye before he did.

_You didn't talk. You were probably better than some soldiers I had known._

He spat on the ruined corpse by the wall, now feeling particularly vindictive here. He would wash his hands and then break the news to Lei the next time he checked back in; he did not want to interrupt him where he was. He walked back in, seeing her standing there by the door and wanting to badly give her comfort, but he knew he was an absolute mess right now.

“Where are the men you fought?” he asked, wiping his hands on his shirt the best he could, though there was no getting the stains off without washing them.

She managed a tiny snort, which was half a sigh. “Over here.”

He followed her...and there were the men, tied up with some sort of material she found, all behind the bar. He looked down at her, sparing her a small smile.

“This will be good...Lei will be able to bring them in for questioning.” They were bound, gagged and well out of the way, but that didn't stop him from accidentally smacking one in the side of the head with his bloodied boot. Not _too_ hard, of course. The man moaned. He suspected these three had nothing to do with what went on in the warehouse; they were simply part of the syndicate, called in.

He turned around and walked off to the kitchen, Lili following close behind.

She usually didn't see him _this_ bloody. He trailed it from one end of the bar to the other, and it looked like-judging by the terrible shape the one by the wall had been in-he had been especially nasty to them back there. His face was spattered with it, though some was his own; his lip and nose oozed it.

He turned the water on in the big, white sink-she could have probably almost bathed in it, as it was pretty much industrial sized-took his shirt off, and began to wash himself up the best he could after spitting a line of blood into the bottom. He almost methodically cleaned his face, chest, arms, and even his hair. His clothes were still a mess, but there was nothing one could do. His black tank top hid most of the blood, though his trousers were a disaster. His oiled longcoat could cover most of it, at least, for the way home, and they would be in his jeep for the journey in any case. There were other elevators he could take up; it was not the first time he had ended up having to come in a different way because he had been in combat.

She had already cleaned herself up, though she only had a little fighting 'residue' on her...and she considered a little more than enough for her; no matter how much she loved a scrap, she still hated to get unnecessarily dirty. She had watched Sergei clean the blood of so many men off of himself, though...most of them killed in duty to her.

He turned around, drying himself off somewhat with a towel he found. He bent over and used the now-damp towel to get the worst of it off of his boots; she shuddered as there was apparently more than blood on them. He rinsed the towel off once-the water turning bright red as it fell into the sink-and cleaned a little more; it would have to do for now until he got back. When he was satisfied, he thoroughly rinsed the thankfully dark-colored towel one more time, cleaned out the big sink and sat back against it. He checked the phone, waiting on Lei's inevitable call as he shoved a cigarette into his mouth and lit it. A bit of his wet hair fell across his forehead and toward his eye, though it did not seem to bother him.

Lili hadn't been able to take her eyes off of the scenario. While she imagined there would be no trouble for him, given his on-duty status and physical wounds on his body-she supposed he still had it in him that he try to clean up areas the best he could when he was done using them. Military cleanliness, and all. She wasn't _totally_ sure why she couldn't stop staring, as she had seen him fight countless times...but she shrugged and didn't think too much about it. She was probably trying to get her mind off of everything.

She looked him over, seeing the wounds on his body. One or two had started to ooze a little blood again; he dabbed them with the towel with a free hand as he smoked. They would clot soon, he figured. He didn't seem to care he collected them. She didn't understand sometimes how he seemingly couldn't feel them...or if he did, he just didn't care about the pain. He looked up at her when he was done.

“Are you okay?” he asked. She couldn't remember when he had asked this last. He usually just let her say on her own. He started to walk out of the kitchen and brushed a hand over her back gently on his way out. She followed.

She nodded. “They were so...”

“He probably gave himself away. Made a mistake. Going undercover...I have met young men like him. They go in a bit too hard. In our case it was the military.”

“Young and skilled?” she asked, shivering.

“Yes. And they get caught. Or killed. Or both.”

She imagined that he probably went a bit too far; probably tried to pocket something he shouldn't have, and it lead to his discovery.

Lei wasn't lying when he discussed what they do to people who were caught.

Sergei went behind the bar, not being particularly gentle with the tied-up men he accidentally booted a few times. He grabbed a bottle of what seemed to be whiskey, and brought that and glasses to the table. He poured a shot, offering the bottle to Lili. He took a deep pull of his cigarette.

She smirked slightly for a moment, deciding that while she was usually not into the stuff, today seemed like a good enough one as any to take the edge off.

“Sergei...? What did you do to them?”

He was silent, sipping his drink as he smoked. “You don't want to know.”

“...You...like that night.” She remembered when he had done... _something_ to a man for information leading to the mole.

He stared ahead, knowing that she could read him. Sergei, it seemed, could hide his feelings for absolutely anyone...except for her. Everyone has a weakness, it seemed.

“Why? Was it what they did?”

He nodded.

She had seen the room; it was a mess, and she knew it wasn't all because of the young man, either. There was _far_ too much blood for that.

He crushed the smoke out in one of the old ashtrays when he was done. “He...I could have seen you getting involved to try to do what he did.”

She blinked, her stomach twisting. She remembered how she thought it would be fun to do it, that she would be good at it. And she did think she would be...pretty good, but she wasn't trained.

_I probably would have tried._

She went to stand in front of him as he sat there. His skin was clean, but his clothing was a mess. She still didn't care.

“Did you think they would return?”

“I did think they would try to go out to the bar. They probably would, given the three that came in.”

“I never knew you to get that...” she trailed off, suddenly remembering.

“It can happen.” He looked up at her.

She thought back, and remembered the look in his eyes when they were at the bar that one day when the man had attempted to shoot her...and the look in his eyes had been terrifying. Not to her....but to the man, and she remembered what he had put him through. She remembered thinking for him to just end it.

_You have always known what you're getting with him...probably since you saw the remains he left on that very first night he killed the attackers at the mansion._

When she looked back down at him, his eyes had softened looking at her, as they would do. She walked forward to run her fingers through his hair, cupping the back of his muscular neck in her hand. His hair was still damp.

They stayed like that for some time, Lili had no idea how long it was.

After a few moments, Sergei's phone went off. He checked.

“Lei,” he said. “Sent a message. He's finished there.”

“Will you tell him?”

“Yes.”

“I feel bad for him. He seems like the type that will blame himself.”

He nodded.

Lili went over to him to gently brush a hand over his hair as he decided to make the call.

He leaned his forehead into hers for just a brief moment, kissing her one time lightly on the mouth. She backed up as he stood to walk off.

She sat with her drink, pondering over everything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, another cut-away battle...but they can work pretty well, I think. 
> 
> This one got dark, bloody and nasty, I know. Though it also had it's amusing moments, a bit mood whiplash like, but this is how it came out. I decided to attempt to not make it the world's biggest downer ever by having Lili come out with the 'save', in a way...they now have people that Lei can take in for proper questioning. 
> 
> Again, Sergei is not nice, and this may be Sergei as his...cruelest, when he wants to be. He was hoping to spare Lili all of it, but he should have probably known better...but he also probably should have known better that she would never shun him, for anything.


	4. Chapter 4

More rain beat on the window as Sebastian made sure the room was a comfortable temperature.

Lili was meeting with her father, going over things in the past few weeks. It had been two weeks since the terrible warehouse incident, though she composed herself well. She actually felt okay about things, though naturally stayed a bit bothered by some of it. She tried to hide it, though.

Her father had been quite proud of her; she had been doing good work with the internship, kept her schoolwork straight, and still had some time for her other activities, whatever they may have been. He didn't press on her too hard for them. He was about to leave in a few days for a long business trip, and so he wanted to go over what he could with her now before he left.

“Coffee?” Sebastian asked. She nodded.

Mr. Rochefort ate one of the appetizers that were on the rather lavish table downstairs in the fine dining room of their building. “Glad to see everything is working out. We've gone up a lot...a whole lot. Thankfully Mr. Dragunov had helped take care of the problem we were having.”

Lili nodded quietly. She always got a bit...weird when her father would bring him up.

“Are you okay? You have seemed quiet today.”

“Oh, I'm fine,” she said. “Had a few late nights studying.”

“Well, don't be too hard on yourself.” He sipped his coffee. “I'll leave Sergei here with you.” He would alternate his names, for some reason. “I trust him to keep a good watch over the place. Plus he mentioned to me it would fit his current business.”

“I think so. We talk now and again. He seems to like it here.” She did her best to lie as well as she could right now.

“Seems to. I'm glad you ended up getting along. So many bodyguards just seemed to...not work out.” It was true; they either annoyed her or got annoyed _of_ her, but this seemed like a million years ago. They got paid well, but truth be told neither Mr. Rochefort or Sebastian thought any of them truly able to defend her-or the family-against their worst enemies.

He then turned back to the subject of business. Lili exhaled at that; she got awfully...fidgety, and for good reason, when the topic was on Sergei, especially with some of the stuff he was saying.

He was there-he stood by the door, wearing his usual more casual guard wear; his cargos, she noted, had some extra straps and buckles around, with bits of leather to protect his vital areas. She found them incredibly hot, and with his vest and combat boots, she had to stop herself from staring. He was in that 'ready to attack' mode. She sort of wondered what was up with the almost-bondage looking military trousers, but she supposed the extra...things or whatever on them could come in handy. They did seem to have extra pockets.

Sebastian offered him a cup of coffee as he stood there, and he accepted, sipping it. He did not look over at the table too often. He mostly checked his watch or looked out the window, watching the rain.

She adjusted her hair. “How long is this trip?”

“Three weeks. Be careful while I'm gone.” He would always say this; he did know that Sergei was involved with a few mission-things on the side, and he was still overprotective.

“I will.” She naturally didn't bring up their trips to the shooting range, the training, or anything of the sort.

“We're here until the winter, aren't we?”

“Yes. I will be in the process of making a few more deals while we're here, and since you're at the university here as well, I figured we might as well see it out. All of your credits will transfer.”

Lili smiled. “Only three or so more years left.”

“And I will let you do more with the company during this.” He looked toward Sergei. “We would keep you on as long as you wish.”

He nodded, turning to bow. He spared Lili a fast glance-only she could see-and his eyes seemed to almost glint for a half a second. He stood back to the wall, picking up his coffee again to sip it. Sebastian carried over some of the sushi they had to him; he took it, looking almost grateful. Lili had to stifle a giggle, as she knew it was one of his soft spots.

That and sacher cake. She never asked, but she always found it rather cute.

She went back to her food, getting more coffee poured. The rest of the afternoon was fairly pleasant, but she sort of wanted to get going soon. She wanted to relax on her own for a bit; after all of this time talking business-as well as some personal life which tended to get her a bit guarded these days-it sort of took a bit out of her. She loved her father, and did enjoy getting to spend time with him; as they didn't really get to see as often as a parent might see their child. Sebastian was a second father to her for a reason. But they got used to it.

Looking out the window a moment, she stretched.

_At least I didn't slip up...hopefully the next lunch goes just as smoothly._

She _did_ catch herself looking at a few things she maybe shouldn't have been, after all.

–

Sergei was heading down to the garage; he had already let Lili know that she was welcome to come along, especially given her part in capturing the three syndicate members. He was going to meet with Lei tonight at the place they did the first time Lili had met him; he knew that place was secure and safe. The other bar had been closed down by Interpol in an investigation, though he didn't know what had become of anyone else involved, like the bartender or owner of the place, whoever that had been. He wondered if the owner even knew that the bartender had clearly been on the take...or perhaps afraid for his life.

He wore his oilcoat-it was raining hard all over again-and carried an extra pack of cigarettes with him, since he planned on spending some time there tonight. The rough fabric of the coat was scratchy against his bare arms, but it didn't bother him. He was healing nicely from the incident; he had seen a doctor on the down-low and ensured nothing was infected from whatever dirty instruments they had attacked him with. The doctor seemed rather frightened the entire time he was examining him, but his military ID told him at least some of what he needed to know.

Sergei was glad Lili wanted to come along; he knew she wanted some of her own time, but he also knew how she liked to occasionally visit places that weren't high class. He also wanted to see how she was holding up, as she knew Terrence's death sort of affected her, even though she barely knew him.

He stepped outside next to the garage, lighting a cigarette as he stood under the awning. He watched the rain fall and the odd car go by; they were in such a nice part of the city-the nicest, to be sure-there wasn't a whole lot of traffic. Checking his phone, he saw Lili was on her way down; he crushed out his smoke and went inside, heading toward his jeep. He knew Lili would meet him in there discreetly.

Sure enough, as he sat inside-playing his usual favorite driving music-Lili climbed in the side door and locked it. She had her own raincoat pulled around her.

“Why is it so cold this time of year?” she grumbled.

He shrugged, smirking. She was cute when she was grumpy at mundane things, he felt.

She smiled back at him, unable to stay irritable. “We are going to the same place we did the first time, right?”

He nodded.

“I actually liked the food there. Don't tell anyone.”

He smirked as he started the jeep, pulling out into the night. Her hand slid into his for a few moments to squeeze it; they separated, just in case.

–

Lili smiled when she stepped into the familiar place, this time not as damp as she was the first time, given the rain was only horrible rather than a total sheet of water coming down.

Lei had not arrived yet, but Sergei nodded to the familiar bartender, who waved them to the booth they would sit in. He also started preparing the coffee for them; a hand motion from Sergei let him know they'd be having the usual.

Her servants made pretty good mozzarella sticks when she requested them, but for some reason they couldn't make them as well as this greasy little bar could. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was almost a little feel of comfort in this place; maybe she thought, as she got older, she wanted to 'see more', so to speak, than her sort of sheltered life usually gave her.

She always had it with the street-fighting and all, and breaking away to steal off to tournaments...but she supposed it came out even more now the older she got.

They sat down after hanging up their coats; Lili had a loose blouse tied over her tank top, as her arms would get chilly now, which she thought was ridiculous this time of year on the east coast...but the weather seemed to feel differently about this matter.

Lili sat back to stare around at the dim lights; her eyes trailed over to the dartboard in the corner, being used by a couple of nondescript men. There were no windows in this place, given how it was nestled in the middle of a building, but on this sort of night, it gave the place a surprisingly cozy feel, rather than a cramped one.

The bartender brought two large cups of coffee-they both liked how big the mugs were here-as well as napkins. He stood to go back to the bar when they all heard the door open; they turned to see who it was.

Lei was there, shaking off his leather jacket. He nodded over to them, smiling and nodding in greeting.

“He seems okay,” Sergei said.

Lili blinked, nodding. “His partner...” It still bothered her, of course, but she tried not to think too much about it.

He stopped by the bar to pick up a cup of coffee since the bartender had it fresh back there, and left an order with him before dropping into the seat next to Sergei. She had to giggle; seeing him next to Sergei was like night and day. He was perhaps her height and athletically built, especially for a man near fifty, but Sergei was a walking tank next to him.

“Good news,” Lei started. He knew Sergei was not one for small talk. “We managed to interrogate the three you captured. We picked up some arms and caught one more person. None of the military...but we managed to get four total. Plus the bartender and owner of the establishment were taken in for aiding, though they talked very quickly, once we offered them protection.”

Sergei nodded. “She was the one who caught them.”

Lei blinked. “Really?”

She nodded. “I was there. He went to deal with the...warehouse. I can fight, and I didn't want them to ambush him...”

Sergei smirked. “I had enough trouble in there.”

“We managed to...clean up.” Lei was mostly a clean cop. His old partner-who was now nigh-on insane and gods knew where in the world-had gotten caught being dirty. Yet...the part of him that sort of blamed himself partially for the mess-sticking to the rules had ended up with him dead, after all, where if he had been alive he may have perhaps been able to get through to him-ended up occasionally looking the other way with things now. Nothing that would get innocents hurt, but sometimes if something needed to under the table for the greater good, he was willing to bend.

This was one of those times. For one, Sergei was on a mission, and as a soldier, if men tried to kill him, he was legally able to fight back with lethal force. The manner in which he did this was frankly terrifying, but it was what it was. It was clear, due to his injuries...and the horrible state his partner had been left in, they were not interested in negotiation.

Lei had simply said the men were dealt with.

Lili spoke up again. “How...are you?” She was grateful when the bartender brought the enormous basket of greasy fare they ordered. She took a mozzarella stick, dipped it in the sauce, and took a decent sized-but neat-bite. It felt nice to her stomach; she hadn't eaten since the early lunch, and the food was welcome.

He sighed deeply, sipping his coffee. “Fine. I...should have known, but I couldn't stop him. I tried to tell him what he was getting into; he insisted. He went to our superior and begged to be put in undercover.” He adjusted his wristwatch. “I had a feeling he wasn't quite ready. He had over two years of good military experience and came with excellent reports. He was excellent at subterfuge. Yet...he was...idealistic.”

Sergei nodded. He had seen several types like that buried in his time.

“Idealistic and...at the end, he must have gotten sloppy. We don't know exactly how they found out, but in his findings-which we do have-I suppose he left a thread open that one of the more prudent-and experienced-members had found.” He turned toward Lili. “I'm sorry you had to see that.”

Lili could only nod _. I've seen Sergei kill about three dozen men with his bare hands over the time that I've known him...and it was not clean. Snapped limbs, broken necks, bones sticking out, skulls crushed on the ground-with all that entails-without him blinking. He even tortured a man for my benefit, apparently._

_What was in there was different, though._

_He wasn't one of the bad guys. He was my age._

_It could have been me if I had gotten too involved with things..._

She shook her head, grabbing more food. Her appetite had finally come back; it hadn't been particularly strong the past couple of weeks, given everything that had happened. She was not traumatized, but the events did rattle her a little.

“But still...good job capturing them. They had quite a few bumps on them.”

She smirked. “I'm not sure if that was all me.” She did recall Sergei booting them a few times on the ground. “I'm happy you could get something from it.”

“Indeed we did. I only hope we can continue on.”

Sergei looked at him, grabbing a stick himself. Lili could tell he seemed to pretend he didn't care what he was eating, but in truth she could tell he liked it a lot. “Will you send more undercover?”

“Well, we might...though this time I'm going to insist to the superior they send someone with years of experience.” He sighed. “It can always go wrong, of course...but...” He sipped more coffee. “It's a much better chance. Plus we'll give them slightly different directives. Also...” He coughed. “ We found several Russian-manufactured arms.”

Sergei smirked. “AKs.”

“Indeed.”

Lili smiled, remembering when she shot Sergei's at the range. She wasn't too fond of the burst-fire and wasn't bracing it correctly. The semi-automatic fire wasn't too bad, though. She didn't dare try it on full-autofire. “I guess they're popular?”

Lei nodded. “Tough, easy to use, powerful, not hard to get. They're popular with criminal syndicates who wish to have heavier weaponry.”

“Given they money the syndicates pay...more than one member of the military has been tempted over the years.” He lit a cigarette. The bartender didn't seem to care that anyone smoked. He drained his coffee, motioning for more as he grabbed a handful of the food on the table. Lili thought it was a miracle he didn't take the entire basket in one swipe.

“We can't get them all off the streets,” Lei continued, “But we can try to bring down the bigger players.”

Lili grabbed another stick, starting to ponder dessert. She was quite proud of what she did; her hog-tying of the three men resulted in successful questioning. She could tell how Sergei looked at her when he told that he was proud as well...and glad.

He would have most likely killed them if he had gotten ahold of them. He was not told to leave anyone alive, and after what had happened to Lei's partner, he had not been feeling particularly charitable.

Generally speaking, if Sergei was fighting people out to kill, one did well to tell him who he needed to leave alive and who he did not, if they needed people. Otherwise they tended to default to 'dead.' It had gotten him in mild trouble a few times-he followed orders, yes, but there were a few times where he turned what _could_ have been a fairly clean mission a bit messy.

He had gotten better over the years. He was not indiscriminate in his killing. He would never kill a non-target who was surrendering in front of him without very good reason. Civilians were off limits; indeed, he killed a couple of his own men for harming them in the past.

But combat was a life or death situation, and enemies left alive were enemies that could kill him or his men.

Or in the case of the Rocheforts, his charges.

And the one person whom he could say he actually loved, but could never say it aloud.

He shook his head, drinking the fresh coffee that was bought, and looking over the menu. He was quite hungry today for some reason. It was probably the unhealthy, greasy bar fare that seemed to serve more as a past-time than actual sustenance.

The three sat in silence for awhile, simply going between the food-onion rings and french fries were added-drinking coffee, and Sergei going through a couple of cigarettes. Lili occasionally checked her phone to see if she had to adjust her calendar for anything school related, and she would check the weather; it seemed the storm that was on its way would be hitting soon. The rain beating on the side of the building told her it was probably almost there.

This place felt cozy, though. Small, shut-in, with no windows...it may have felt claustrophobic during the day, but on a bad night like this, it was a relief.

Lei finally spoke up. “Again, thanks. If I can continue to help, you let me know.”

Sergei nodded. “If you hear anything about our men.”

He stood. “Of course. We'll meet up again soon, and I will be in contact.” He held his hand out to the both of them, one right after the other, giving each a firm shake. “I have to get going. Here. I can...” he started to take out his wallet.

Lili burst out laughing. “Mr. Wulong...”

“Lei, please.” He smiled.

“Lei.” She giggled. “You _do_ know who I am.”

He blinked. “Thank you.” He recognized that Lili would be picking up the tab. He smiled again, turning to head out, pulling his poncho back over himself as he walked out the door.

The bartender came over after a few moments. “Who ordered the chocolate cake?”

Sergei nodded once, stuffing out his cigarette and holding out his hand, motioning with his fingers. The man quickly handed it over, as he was not sure what the response would have been if he had kept the chocolate sustenance from the huge, glowering man in the corner.

Lili leaned her head down, stifling laughter.

_I think things are going to be okay..._

–

Lili quietly unlocked the door to her home away from home, turning as she heard the elevator ding.

Sebastian got off of it, nodding in her direction. He smiled. She returned it.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“I was going to ask the same,” he said. “You have seemed a bit distant lately.”

“Oh?” _Better tread carefully. I think talking to Dad earlier took a lot out of me._ “I'm fine, really. A bit busy with everything.”

“I understand. You're still young. Don't overwork yourself yet.” He chuckled. “I shouldn't have to lecture you on that like I do your father for another few years.”

She smiled. Lili was always comfortable around him, and he wasn't pressuring her or anything of that nature. She was more a little on the guarded side given how she had to have an entire discussion with her father about aspects of her life with Sergei standing about ten feet away the entire time, and having to keep a straight face during the entire thing.

_I ought to pick up poker some day. I might be pretty good at it._

“No, I've been taking time off. Talking to my friends. Exercising. Going to clubs.” _Going to seedy bars as well, and I have a pretty good release system on top of all of that..._ she had to stop that train of thought before she started to giggle in front of him. “I love New York.” This was the truth.

“It's a busy place, to be certain. Was different forty years ago. Still busy, of course, but different.” He had traveled to New York City many times, having worked for the Rocheforts since he was a young man. “Your grandfather quite liked it here. He considered moving at one point, but thought differently after awhile.”

She smirked as she leaned against the wall. “Grandpa almost moved the company?”

He nodded. “He decided to keep it in Europe, though. It's seemed to work out just fine.”

“I'm glad.” She supposed there would have been even more issues being in the US...and they likely wouldn't have had the help of a certain Russian bodyguard when they really needed him. She stretched out.

“I'm sorry to keep you,” Sebastian said, smiling. “I'll bring tea later.”

“Thanks. It's never a problem. And I'm fine. Really. Just a lot going on.” _He will always worry about me. I guess I'm lucky to have so many people who do care._

“Til then.” He bowed, heading back down. Lili let herself in the room, exhaling. She was nicely full of greasy bar food and coffee...and that chocolate cake they had was fairly tasty as well. It wasn't Sergei's favorite-sacher cake-but it worked pretty nicely for bar fare.

She thought perhaps some rest alone would do her well. She walked over, pushing her very comfy and favorite plush recliner near the window, cracking it ever so lightly. The wind was absolutely furious, and it was almost chilly, especially up this high...but it was somehow relaxing.

It surprised her how well she was able to put the past week behind her. She was still disturbed of what happened, but she knew there was no real erasing of the past; one just had to move on. She had helped out-without even being sneaky about it, either. She was both glad-and proud-of that. Sergei had that look of fierce pride in his eyes when he had heard the results of Lei's findings, which moved everything along at least a little bit. It didn't fix everything, but it helped.

_I think I might pass on the crime-fighting bit, but I'll help when I can._

Lili heard the knock some time later; she knew from the sound it was Sebastian bringing her tea. She would be alone this night-Sergei had work to do-but it was nice to get some time alone, though she hoped this would not last too long, as their time had still been shorter than she would have liked.

Sebastian set her up a cup and nodded; he turned to leave her be. As she carried it over to the window to watch the storm brewing all over again, she looked out over the massive city, feeling quite at home finally, moreso than she had in a long time.

 


	5. Chapter 5

“The top floor is ready, my lady.”

Sebastian stood at the door dressed in his perfectly pressed suit as he always was; Lili always wondered how he could keep it so perfect, regardless of what he seemed to do around. She smiled at the old man-her second father, really.

“Thank you.”

“This weather is frightful. Dare I say I miss Monaco, though I understand we will be busy here for awhile.”

“I can fit in anywhere. But you know how I like it here.” It was true; she felt like she had so much more to do here. She still lived in total luxury-New York City had immense and lovely penthouses, and the Rocheforts had an entire building. She did miss aspects of the mansion when she was away from it-it was her home, to be sure-but she enjoyed the hustle. She liked her busier schedule, in a way; it kept her mind off of some of the more unpleasant things that had happened.

But she also had to agree; this weather was almost scary.

It was August at this point, a month having passed since the incident at the warehouse. The storms had actually started to clear, but the weather grew unseasonably cool and damp again after a short time. More rain blew in only this time it was at least fifteen degrees cooler than it should have been. She needed her jacket at night and even Sergei threw on one of his lighter longcoats. When the wind blew it actually made her shiver.

But things looked up when they fixed up the fireplace on the top floor for her.

The top floor of her penthouse was quite stunning; it was almost like a huge study. The shelves were filled with books, most of which she hadn't had the chance to go through yet. She was usually too busy to read classic books these days, though she had taken to occasionally picking one up, much like Sergei would.

It included a stone wall with a fireplace, with a pipe that lead off to the outside of the high-rise. It was checked and cleaned vigorously; it was perfectly safe, as the entire room was set mostly in stone. The wall it was on was close to the outside; the smoke literally had nowhere else to go but out. It naturally had a few failsafes as well. It was, in its essence, a vanity piece for the filthy rich.

_Sometimes, it's great being rich._

_Who am I kidding? It's always great._

Lili chuckled to herself as she milled about, placing a few of her things about and thinking over what she would read tonight. She planned on relaxing.

Sebastian noticed her. “Am I finished?”

She nodded, smiling at the large pot of coffee and plate of rather sinful-looking baked goods brought to her. “You can go. I'd like to be alone tonight.”

“As you will. Enjoy your night, my lady.”

He bowed, letting himself out.

_Oh, I will. He should be here shortly, I imagine._

She said she wanted time alone, and she wasn't lying; she suspected she would be alone for about a half hour. What she _really_ wanted, of course, was more time with Sergei finally-after the incident a month ago, they hadn't gotten to see nearly as much as she'd have liked. The disturbing events in her past did still bother her somewhat, and she missed his touch; the release he offered her. It was more than just sexual, of course.

She poured a cup of the strong coffee, adding a tiny bit of vodka to it. Sergei had turned her on to the taste. It would both perk her up and relax her at the same time...which would be perfect for a late night.

She stood to walk over to the fireplace; it was quite nicely going now. It warmed the mostly-stone room of the study; she suspected whoever had built this living arrangement had been eccentric and older; they wanted a study on the top floor, and they got it, along with the fireplace that could have been dangerous in any other situation. It was probably insulated all around with gods knew what, though she didn't bother thinking about it.

Looking over at the furniture, it was all naturally very fine; some had come with the place, some had been purchased by her father to outfit the place before she got here. She touched the smooth wood; it was polished to a sheen, a rich reddish-brown color. She slid one of the coasters over to place the cup on it after taking another drink, turning back around to look toward the door.

Almost on cue, a knock appeared.

_The time passed much more quickly than I thought it would._

She walked over, letting Sergei in; she knew it was him as she knew his heavy knock. He smirked at her, looking around the study before looking back down. He gently traced his hand over her face, enjoying the feel of her skin again.

Lili missed his touch too; she was someone who was usually pampered, but the familiar touch of his battle-hardened hand on her cheek always relaxed her quicker than any silks ever could.

_Two years almost. We've been doing this for two years. What are we, even?_

She didn't know, and neither did he; but neither even discussed it. She found her arms sliding around his muscular neck as she jumped up; he caught her easily as always before she pressed her lips to his quickly. He felt the same, sliding his tongue gently between her lips. Whatever had happened, they wanted their release.

Snapping her legs around his waist to squeeze-she loved how he would moan low she she did that, she kept the kiss going as she felt one huge hand slide down her back as his breathing intensified. She could feel him pressing against the rough fabric of his fatigue trousers; just knowing how turned on he was already made he squirm a bit in his arms as the kiss broke. He was wearing the ones with the straps and buckles; almost looking casual...but still functional.

The ones she found incredibly hot.

“Over there.”

Sergei nodded, carrying her over to the middle of the study; they were close enough to the fire that being naked here would not matter, and the carpet on the floor was rather nice. She looked around for a blanket; she did not know where one was at the moment, but she lost her train of thought as she felt him kiss and nip down her neck, around to her throat.

They could worry about that later, she figured.

His touch had that hungry feel to it again, and the low growl in his throat as he dragged his lips and tongue over her skin told her anything she needed to know.

Looking over her for a moment after he pulled back, he smiled softly and pushed her by the wall. He was wasting no time; he began to slide her jeans off, leaving the usual tight, shapely tank top she liked to wear around the house on. He took his own off and threw his huge boots aside; he knelt in front of her again to kiss her deeply.

She pulled back to look at him, tracing a finger over his mouth as he licked the tip of it quickly, teasing her. He flicked his tongue over it a moment longer before kneeling down more to nuzzle at her stomach, sliding off her underwear in the process.

The only sounds in the large room were their breathing and the fire; for her, it sounded...almost like comfort. She shivered at his breath on her stomach as he kissed her slowly. She considered laying down, but liked how things felt when she stood; he was usually able to sit to get himself into a good position rather easily.

He was close to her midsection now; where he wanted to be. He wondered how long she could last tonight. She would be sensitive, he knew...but that might make things all the better.

Sliding down, he paused to lightly kiss her mound, leaning in to part her with his tongue, rubbing it back and forth, teasing her lightly. He missed her taste, her moans, and the way she would slide her hands into his hair as she stood there. He signed as he continued to tease her slowly.

She looked down at him, sliding her leg over him a moment, giving him better access which he immediately took advantage of as she squealed. She stroked his thick hair, rubbing the back of his head as she felt his tongue working furiously all around her now-soaked center. The small smile on here face said most of what was on her mind, as did her heavy lidded eyes. She glanced down again to enjoy the sight of how content he seemed at the moment.

He could feel her getting wobbly from his pleasure; he stopped for a brief moment-after sucking at her for just a little longer-before putting her right on the floor. He looked for something for her to rest he head on for a moment-a pillow, perhaps-only to have her start to pull him back down.

It was pretty clear she didn't need the pillow right now.

He smirked, delving back in. He had no problem with this; he was more than comfortable in this particular area right now. He held back just a little to slowly stroke her with his tongue for awhile, flicking it over her, making sure he held back just enough that he didn't let her push him into her...which, of course, drove her mad since he was controlling what she got at the moment. He glanced up at her a split second, watching as she bit her lip and continued to rub the back of his head.

Her thoughts came back and forth; mostly she concentrated on his pleasure...and his teasing. He was doing both right now; his teasing felt incredible, but it was starting to get pretty bad. She squirmed, a soft smile on her lips as she felt him finally push his mouth toward her again and his tongue slide deeply inside of her.

She often had those moments where she was grateful he loved doing this as much as he did.

He pushed forward again and she moaned softly as she felt him suck gently at her clit; speeding up and getting rougher as he felt her begin to tremble; a few more flicks of his tongue and she cried out softly in pleasure, wrapping her legs tight as he enjoyed her orgasm. He stayed for some moments longer before pulling back to kiss her thighs, licking his very wet lips as he turned her around.

Lili started to shriek as she clapped a hand over her mouth as he began to tease her from behind for a short while; she could hear him chuckle softly at her reaction.

_He has to surprise me..._

Her thoughts didn't last long as he teased her lightly; his tongue sometimes going forward to dip into her center, bringing some of the wetness back, His hands massaged her rear as he used this time to drive her a bit mad; he knew how much he could tease her like this, just getting her to want him to go back to her clit again.

He knew she was extremely sensitive right now, too.

It was all the better for teasing her. He quite liked his position here, too; he was not afraid to be as intimate as one could be with Lili. He relished the moments he got with her, even if they were sometimes quick.

Teasing her some more, flicking his tongue up and down as his hands slid down her thighs, he dipped low to stroke near her clit again with his tongue, rubbing it lightly with the tip.

Lili squealed softly and quivered; she leaned forward low enough to rest her head against the thick carpet, her hands grasping at it as Sergei teased her mercilessly. It felt so good, yet drove her insane at the same time. She wanted to orgasm again; she could feel it building up, but she knew he wouldn't bring her over quite yet.

After teasing her some more-flicking his tongue back and forth a few more times-Sergei rolled her back over to go back down between her legs, swirling his tongue around her clit slowly as she gasped louder. She very much liked the way he would handle her sometimes-the size difference, and everything. He was somewhat rough, but in a very pleasant way; she would often be just a little achy after these sessions, but she always felt safe. It played on the fact she loved his strength and what he could do with it.

_What is he doing to me,_ she thought as he continued to tease her.

He pushed closer, sucking harder and faster as he flicked his tongue against her more and more; she felt herself about to come again as she arched her back, crying out as the waves of pleasure went through her body-and quickly biting her lip to stifle it. A bit of sweat beaded on her forehead; they were a little close to the fire still. After Sergei finished licking her, he sat up a moment, tracing his hand over her stomach. He settled down again, leaning his head against her leg, absently continuing to stroke her skin with one hand.

She fingered his hair, brushing some of it aside. She could feel the wetness on his chin against her body, causing her to giggle. She then sat up, looking down at him as he rolled over, licking his lips.

She grinned. “Stand up.” She nodded toward the wall.

He smiled, following her orders. She pushed him there, standing up to kiss him lightly on the mouth as her hands traced down his stomach and to his trousers where she freed him; she wanted to get him as he stood by the wall. He smirked down at her, realizing right away what she was planning. He settled back, bringing himself down a bit as he leaned there, exhaling deeply as she began to tease the head of his member with her tongue.

She looked up as he gently started to stroke her hair, his head leaning against the wall; his eyes were closed.

Just the way she liked to see him.

Lili teased underneath of him with her slim fingers as she took him deeply into her mouth, starting out slow, wanting to tease him some. His low moan sounded incredibly sexy to her ears; it wasn't any sort of exaggerated sound, just a natural, soft moan...but his voice could always get her. That and the way his huge hands would caress her hair and head; it was gentle, despite the intense pleasure he was feeling.

She sucked him slowly, wanting this to last; she wanted to perhaps go into some mutual pleasure after this, which she knew he would be up for. She knew Sergei incredibly well, and she knew even if he was utterly tired and worn out, if he saw an opportunity for more fun, he would reciprocate with amazing speed.

Running her hands up and down his legs, she enjoyed the muscle, as always. She had always been a little taller than average-her five-foot eight was not immense, though her shoes would often boost her a little more-the times she had dated guys, they were perhaps around her height, maybe around six foot. Sergei made her appreciate a much bigger man, and she knew there wouldn't be any going back from it.

Sergei grunted again, leaning his head forward to watch her a few moments, his slightly sweaty hair hanging down around his face. He smirked, rubbing her head gently as she took him deeply into her mouth, sucking even harder. He held on; he was doing quite well still, though licking his lips again, the faint taste of her remained enough that it certainly didn't make it easier.

The fire crackled in the background, and the room was quite comfortable, now. The wind screamed against the windows, even rattling them; and Sergei looked aside long enough to see large drops smack the windows; massive ones, to be sure. He didn't care though; he grit his teeth and moaned when he felt her tease the head with her tongue again, swirling it around. Her tongue would go a little low now and then causing a louder grunt which amused her to no end.

Lili then stood, walking back over; he smirked again, going to sit down as she pushed him over.

His smirk turned evil when she took her position on top of him, her legs toward his head. They were not right in front of the fire, but more off to the side; it was a little more comfortable there. Sergei wasted no time sliding his tongue right up inside of her again, thrusting quickly as she squealed; she was barely able to get him back into her mouth from the distraction.

It was always great to have full access.

She focused a moment to concentrate again; she took him slowly into her mouth, sucking on the way down as she teased him underneath with her fingers again, occasionally going back a little far, listening to the sounds he made and smiling to herself. She squealed again as she felt him gently running his tongue up and down the full length of her folds; she was probably going to come soon again herself.

Quickly she slid her hand even lower and did some heavier teasing with her fingers; she took him as deeply as she could at the same time, sucking rather hard-about as much as he could take. She tried not to giggle at the low moan that came out of him; he had to actually slow down a few moments from his teasing.

It was her turn to squeal when she felt him press himself harder into her, his head moving rhythmically with her hips as he sucked her clit harder, trying to bring her over. It didn't take her long; she quivered and let go again finally as he swallowed; he took his time, licking her slowly up and down as she came. He ran his nails down her back lightly as he did this, feeling her body shiver every so often.

When he was finished, sparing her a few kisses, she rolled off of him, panting; he slowly started to stand. She nodded over to the wall.

He smirked. He stood against it, allowing the warmth of the fire to hit him for a moment; he pulled his trousers the rest of the way down and removed them as he prepared himself as she walked over. He licked his lips; she could tell how wet his mouth was. He brought a hand up to touch his face with two fingers quickly. She chuckled.

_He would never use dirty talk...thankfully._

_But he's not above making a dirty gesture now and again._

He reached down to pick her up; she squeezed his waist with her legs and settled down on him. Rather than begin immediately, she stayed; her arms around his neck, her forehead pressed against his. He kissed her lightly on the mouth, several times...before deepening it as she stayed on him, enjoying the feeling of him being inside of her. They broke apart as he leaned by the wall enough for her to begin moving up against him as he met her with thrusts.

Sex with Sergei was always wonderful to Lili...well, anything was. But there were some times where it felt even better...and more than physically.

This was one of those times.

She tightened her legs enough so she could maneuver on him; she kept matching his rhythm, moving faster on him, moaning every time she came down. This position gave rather deep penetration, after all. Her nails raked down his back with more force than usual as she bit at his shoulder.

He growled low, meeting her in a kiss again, sucking at her lower lip rather roughly before running his own nails down her back-they were trimmed, but she could feel them just enough. He nipped at her skin, albeit gently enough to not leave marks, even though both of them wanted him to go harder with that.

After a few more moments, he tensed and came; holding her tightly as she continued to ride him standing, waiting for him to finish. Panting slightly he set her down, leaning back against the wall. He looked down at her, a slight smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth.

She leaned into him, sliding her arms around his chest as she rest her head on him. He stroked her hair with one huge hand. She looked up after a time.

“We should shower soon. Need to get dressed. They might come up here asking us if we want something.”

He nodded. He knew this wasn't her usual room. He started walking toward the big bathroom, which luckily contained a shower.

_I would not want to explain our condition if we had to head out without one..._

–

The two sat on the room's large, soft couch as they listened to the wind rattle the windows almost alarmingly. It made the fire feel all the better. Sergei had added another log to it.

“Never thought I'd enjoy a fire in the summer.” She chuckled, laying off to the corner of the couch, watching him have his usual cigarette. “Never thought I'd see a summer where I'd _want_ a fire.” She had one, of course, back at the manor-more than one-but they never used it in anything but the late fall or winter.

He chuckled. He was fully dressed again-well, his trousers, boots, and tank top, simply what he came in with. Lili was as well; since they weren't on her floor, they did not want to risk someone poking in with them half-dressed. They would knock, she knew, but they wouldn't be able to get dressed in time. They would be able to arrange in more 'innocent' positions, however, fairly quickly.

They did a fairly good job cleaning up the carpet, she thought.

“Can you stay tonight?” She looked out the window as more large raindrops slammed against it.

“Yes.” He touched her face.

“We haven't had as much this time,” she said, sadly. “Hopefully we will.”

“Probably. I'll probably spend more time around here. With you. Bodyguarding and such, what with your father gone again.” Mr. Rochefort had come back for perhaps a week before leaving again on another trip; this one for about three weeks.

“Training a bit?”

He smirked. “Of course. Though you've seemed to be doing fine so far.”

She smiled proudly.

They didn't say much else for awhile. Sergei had his arms around her as she lay across him; he looked out the window, watching the massive drops slam on it. It sounded rather soothing, and the room was very comfortable; the fire seemed to burn out some of the wet feeling in the air. He had a pleasant feeling in his loins, as he hadn't had a proper release in a bit too long...nor had he gotten to enjoy the other aspects like pleasuring her, which he managed to do for a rather long time tonight.

“I hope you can catch who you need to soon. I mean it's important to you, I know. But I miss you.” She said it plainly.

He only nodded. He pulled her closer and kissed her; deeply and with that...stronger feeling that she would sometimes sense from his actions. It was clear that he often did not know what to say in these situations, so he just let his actions speak for him. Returning it-she could remember the first night they kissed, right in her room. She found herself thinking back to it from time to time.

Even before that, she remembered that time on the back porch, when she was there-shaken and a little frightened, even-as much as she hated to admit it-and she had been shocked beyond anything that the hardened man that had just killed several men in their yard had such a gentle touch to him when he stroked her face in comfort.

She had no idea why she would flash back to things nearly two years ago at this point, but she did.

The kiss broke-though Sergei added several more before breaking away. He looked over at the door. Lili smirked at him.

“You want to lock it?”

He nodded.

“I could call up for things and then say I wish not to be disturbed. They wouldn't even see you here.”

He smiled at that. He stood off to the side; the room was massive, so he was easily able to take a spot among the big bookshelves. He began to comb through the books, looking to see if something interested him.

Lili proceeded to call down, ordering a second large pot of coffee, among other things; she said that she planned on working late in here tonight, and to please not disturb her or allow anyone else to disturb her. When she got off the line she went over to where Sergei was sitting on one if the fine old chairs, flipping through an old leather-covered book. She guessed it was some sort of war-oriented book.

“I'll let you know when everything gets here.”

He smirked up at her, putting the book off to the side. He clearly wanted more physical contact with her tonight to make up for lost time.

Lili went back to his lap, feeling completely content for the first time in awhile. She had no idea how long it would last-neither of them did-but she had decided the moment was more important than the future.

She figured if she worried too much about the future she would waste the potential quality time they could be spending now.

Though she thought it might be a good idea to wait until her servants came and went, first.

_Priorities._

_We have to remember priorities._

She may have fallen asleep for awhile before she felt the doorbell; as she stood, walking sleepily-and satisfied-to the door, she watched Sergei walk off to the bookshelves. 

Perhaps after some refueling she could find a second wind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that ties up the rather long, and at times a little emotional and very brutal-third story. As we see, they're sort of in it now; there likely will not be any getting out of it until everything is dealt with. One might hope they can deal with things before they have to go back to Monaco...
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Hope as always you guys have been enjoying this bunch.
> 
> And yes, fireplace sex. (Thanks, Shadi. XD) Inspired by a friend, I decided to include fireplace sex because it's hot. Ba dum tish. 
> 
> Wonder what the next story will have in store? Stay tuned, gang!


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